I haven't done carbon printing, but have used liquid photo emulsion with similar issues. One solution is to pre-soak the paper and use watercolor tape to tape it down and leave it to dry before coating it. It will give you perfectly flat coated papers, however you must be able to safely (in the dark) dry these taped down coated papers.

For that, I have devised a light tight coated paper drying box based on a developer tray, which I have described in full here:

Vaughn - thanks for feedback. Actually using "waterproof" supports seems to be worth experimenting. I will be testing glass today once more. Crossing my fingers.

Marco - I know the method. I've been doing *lots* of graphics (mostly aquatint) drying paper like this. We also used wood glue (looking like high-fat cream) with some water and newspapers paper or some drafts, sketches or paper scraps to glue and dry wet prints (in place of the watercolour tape - it is hard to get it and it is not cheap). Only problem I see here is drying paper after soaking in dichromate - I don't want to have dichromate-soaked wood in the place I will be living. But this is a minor issue.
Carbon printing is the cheap way for me, and this is all this noise for.
I've seen the drying cabinet. Nice and inspiring

Thanks

Last edited by q_x; 07-18-2008 at 10:55 AM. Click to view previous post history.

Drying does take a little longer with waterproof supports -- but they usually are reusable. Carbon printing is only expensive in relation to one's time...but you get what you pay for with your time! good luck!

Vaughn

At least with LF landscape, a bad day of photography can still be a good day of exercise.

The method I use for coating is very efficient, and is only marginally more complicated than just pouring the glop on the paper and evening it by hand. But it gives a much smoother tissue, one with no bubbles or surface debris, assuming you dry in clean dust free room

Plastic supports (RC papers, film, Yupo) are much better than paper in my opinion because papers sometimes contain chemicals that interfere with the carbon process in one way or another. However, whatever you use be sure to flatten the carbon tissue as soon as it is dry. If you just leave it open to the air the tissue on any support, paper or plastic, will continue to dry out and develop a very severe curve that will make it very difficult to use.

Sandy King

Originally Posted by q_x

Vaughn - thanks for feedback. Actually using "waterproof" supports seems to be worth experimenting. I will be testing glass today once more. Crossing my fingers.

Marco - I know the method. I've been doing *lots* of graphics (mostly aquatint) drying paper like this. We also used wood glue (looking like high-fat cream) with some water and newspapers paper or some drafts, sketches or paper scraps to glue and dry wet prints (in place of the watercolour tape - it is hard to get it and it is not cheap). Only problem I see here is drying paper after soaking in dichromate - I don't want to have dichromate-soaked wood in the place I will be living. But this is a minor issue.
Carbon printing is the cheap way for me, and this is all this noise for.
I've seen the drying cabinet. Nice and inspiring

Thanks

Last edited by sanking; 07-20-2008 at 10:41 AM. Click to view previous post history.

Hi Sandy!
Thanks for supporting me. Yes, I've read the article. I'll try as many non-paper materials as I can get.
For the moment glass work best for me. I have single 2mm thick a3 sheet since 5 years (to cut on it), so it looks glass will last almost forever when treated sincerely.